On March 28, a Japanese man in his 60s became the first person to receive cells derived from induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells that had been donated by another person.

The surgery is expected to set the path for more applications of iPS cell technology, which offers the versatility of embryonic stem cells without the latter’s ethical taint. Banks of iPS cells from diverse donors could make stem cell transplants more convenient to perform, while slashing costs.

iPS cells are created by removing mature cells from an individual (from their skin, for example), reprogramming these cells back to an embryonic state, and then coaxing them to become a cell type useful for treating a disease.

In the recent procedure, performed on a man from Hyogo prefecture, skin cells from an anonymous donor were reprogrammed and then turned into a type of retinal cell that was transplanted onto the retina of the patient who suffers from age-related macular degeneration. Doctors hope the cells will stop progression of the disease, which can lead to blindness.

In a procedure performed in September 2014 at the Kobe City Medical Center General Hospital, a Japanese woman received retinal cells derived from iPS cells. They were taken from her own skin, though, and then reprogrammed. Such cells prepared for a second patient were found to contain genetic abnormalities and never implanted.

The team decided to redesign the study based on new regulations, and no other participants were recruited to the clinical study. In February 2017, the team reported that the one patient had fared well. The introduced cells remained intact and vision had not declined as would usually be expected with macular degeneration.

In today’s procedure — performed at the same hospital and by the same surgeon Yasuo Kurimoto — doctors used iPS cells that had been taken from a donor’s skin cells, reprogrammed and banked. Japan’s health ministry approved the study, which plans to enroll 5 patients, on 1 February.

Using a donor’s iPS cells does not offer an exact genetic match, raising the prospect of immune rejection. But Shinya Yamanaka, the Nobel Prize-winning stem-cell scientist who pioneered iPS cells, has contended that banked cells should be a close enough match for most applications.

Yamanaka is establishing an iPS cell bank, which depends on matching donors to recipients via three genes that code for human leukocyte antigens (HLAs) — proteins on the cell surface that are involved in triggering immune reactions. His iPS Cell Stock for Regenerative Medicine currently has cell lines from just one donor. But by March 2018, they hope to create 5-10 HLA-characterized iPS cell lines, which should match 30%-50% of Japan’s population.

Use of these ready-made cells has advantages for offering stem cell transplants across an entire population, says Masayo Takahashi, an ophthalmologist at the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology who devised the iPS cell protocol deployed in today’s transplant. The cells are available immediately — versus several months’ wait for a patient’s own cells — and are much cheaper. Cells from patients, who tend to be elderly, might have also accumulated genetic defects that could increase the risk of the procedure.

At a press conference after the procedure, Takahashi said the surgery had gone well but that success could not be declared without monitoring the fate of the introduced cells. She plans to make no further announcements about patient progress until all five procedures are finished. “We are at the beginning,” she says.

GIOSTAR in ZEE TV – Tomorrow’s World

This statistic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says it all: Approximately half of all American adults live with a chronic condition, and nearly one-third suffer from multiple. It’s no wonder, then, that chronic sicknesses significantly affect the American healthcare system.

Nowadays, Western medicine focuses on a disease’s specific symptoms, which mostly relieves symptoms or stops their progression. But persistent illness is a systemic problem that relates to a specific organ or several related ones.

Even if you relieve the problem, it’s only a temporary reprieve because the ailment will eventually recur and progress. Regeneration offers a means for eliminating chronic problems, preventively regenerating new cells, tissues, and even complete organs to return the body to its disease-free physiological state.

For example, let’s examine chronic atrophic gastritis. A common gastrointestinal tract illness, CAG-induced pain is often treated with tablets that neutralize or adjust the GI’s environment. The condition, however, does destroy the cells in your stomach lining and cause metaplasia, which transforms or replaces them with acid-producing versions that live in your stomach.

Through regenerative rejuvenation, the metaplasia cells could be physiologically replaced by newly regenerated cells of the proper type. Eventually, all GI cell types and distribution will be able to maintain the same normal physiological state you had when you were young.

This is just one example of how regenerative rejuvenation works and how it can reduce the increasing financial burden on this country’s healthcare system. The onus of treatment shouldn’t just fall on doctors trying to find a cure.

Looking inward can enable us to replenish what’s already there. It can be a cost-efficient and less invasive version of recuperation.

Regenerating and Revitalizing the Future of Healthcare
Regenerative properties should be of specific interest to a population that’s doing exactly what it’s supposed to: getting older.

The CDC estimates the United States spends approximately $3 trillion in healthcare each year, about 17.5 percent of the country’s GDP. Chronic illness patients aged 65 and older are up to eight times more likely to incur these costs than those younger than 45.

Regenerative medicine holds the potential to curb those costs by providing more effective and affordable long-term solutions and an improved quality of life. Using the chronic GI illness mentioned above, regenerative medicine could renew a GI tract’s compromised mucosal layer. When it’s healthy, it’s more than capable of enduring both the basic and extremely acidic damage caused by internal fluid.

As people age, the GI mucosal layer becomes thinner, which can lead to chronic conditions such as inflammatory atrophic gastritis. Rather than focus on the symptoms of these conditions, physiological regeneration can restore the thickness and sustainability of the mucosal layer, preventing symptoms from recurring.

But regeneration isn’t just confined to chronic GI issues. Skin, as an external organ, is also susceptible to chronic pathological conditions that may be reversed with regenerative medicine. Physiological regeneration of traumatized tissue can prevent scar formation and potential disability. It can also halt the need for skin grafts that can lead to everlasting healthcare costs to maintain or improve your overall quality of life.

Regeneration isn’t just about getting overall healthcare costs under control; it’s about helping people — especially the chronically ill — enjoy the health and vitality of their youth, even into their golden years.

Exploring alternative means of treatment helps make that sustained contentedness possible. The examples above are just a few of the possibilities represented by regenerative medicine’s potential when utilized by those in need.

As more and more people contract or develop chronic illnesses, options outside the traditional treatment arena need to be explored. Make regeneration one avenue you take a long look at.

World Congress of Biomedical Engineering-2017

Theme: Co-creating a New Future of Biomedicine

Time: November 9-11, 2017 Place: Xi’an, China

Dear Dr. Anand Srivastava,

We are proud to announce that The World Congress of Biomedical Engineering-2017 (WCBME-2017) with a theme of “Co-creating a New Future of Biomedicine”, will be held during 9 to 11 November, 2017, Xi’an, China. On behalf of the organizing committee, we cordially welcome you to join us as a speaker at Session 6-3: Tissue Repair and Regenerative Medicine.

WCBME-2017 features a very strong technical program, mainly focused on: Biomechanics and Mechanobiology, Biomedical Imaging, Biomaterials, Biosensors and Bioelectronics, Cell and Tissue Engineering, Nanomedicine, Biomedical Optics, and cutting-edge Biomedical Instrumentation and Devices. It aims to provide a platform for all experts from academia, industry and national labs to discuss latest hot researches and achievements. Attendees will hear world-class speakers discussing the challenges and opportunities facing the biomedical engineering field. The business & academic experts who are from home and abroad will give excellent speeches.

In addition to the dynamic scientific program, you will benefit from the wonderful experience in Xi’an, China. Xi’an is the oldest of the Four Great Ancient Capitals, having held the position under several of the most important dynasties in Chinese history. We hope you will enjoy your stay in this beautiful city with all its feature, beauty, architecture and hospitality!

PS: We expect your precious comments or suggestions on the structure of our program, as well as your reference to other speakers that will be highly appreciated. We look forward to receiving your replies on the following questions:

Do you have any suggestions about our program?

What topic would you like to talk about at the conference? Could you please forward us a speech title and a brief introduction to your topic?